Faith,Church and nationalism in Armenia

This article explores the status of Turks in Bulgaria under the transition from Communism to post-Communism. After a summary of the demography of the Turkish population in Bulgaria, the paper focuses on developments in three specific areas: religious, political, and educational issues. For each issue a brief historical background is given but the emphasis is on developments since 1989. Since the article is an expanded version of a presentation on East European Linguistic Minorities, the issue of Turkish language and Turkish language education in Bulgaria is discussed in greater detail than religious and political issues. This in no way implies that the latter are any less important.     

Serious assaults on prison staff: A descriptive analysis

Objective

The current study sought to illuminate the patterns associated with serious inmate-on-staff assaults, as well as the characteristics of perpetrators and victims.

Material and methods

This study examined 79 assaults on prison staff requiring more than first aid treatment, perpetrated by 96 inmates, in a large state correctional department during a 14-month period (September 1, 2007 through October 31, 2008).

Results

These assaults were both infrequent (53 per 100,000 inmates annually) and progressively more infrequent as the severity increased (hospitalization for non-life threatening injury or required reconstructive surgery = 2.2 per 100,000 inmates annually; hospitalization for life-threatening injury = 0.5 per 100,000 inmates annually). Among staff victims, Black and female correctional officers were underrepresented. Inmate perpetrators who were younger, Black, prison gang members, and/or serving sentences for violent offenses were disproportionately represented among assailants.

Conclusions

The low overall rate of serious staff assaults attests to the level of professionalism and training in modern corrections departments. Nonetheless, situational factors uncovered in the current analysis suggest that particular circumstances increase the likelihood of staff assaults, hence the need for continued training and vigilance on the part of correctional staff that come in direct contact with inmates.